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Grammy Award-winning singer Roberta Flack died Monday at the age of 88. The Associated Press reported that she died at home surrounded by her family. Flack announced in 2022 she had ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and could no longer sing.
Media Marketing Specialist Dave Rodney shared memories of Roberta Flack with The Gleaner.
“I have been a lifelong fan of Roberta Flack’s music since 1972 when I first visited the US as a teenager and Killing Me Softly was the summer anthem there. It was an era of black consciousness in the United States and Roberta was seen not just as a ravishing voice but also as a trusted political barometer of the 70s and beyond.
“Years later, as a board member at the National Gallery of Art in Kingston, I became aware of her passion for Jamaican art and her enduring friendship with revival bishop and intuitive iconic artist Kapo Reynolds. She visited the island regularly to unearth art, and my first encounter with her was quite accidental at the Stony Hill Hotel in St. Andrew.
“A few years later, we were to meet again in New York where we shared music label and publicist at Atlantic Records, after I had signed Stitchie there. Roberta was greatly adored at Atlantic Records and she has left a powerful and indelible body of music that has brought happiness to generations of all ethnicities. But I will also remember her deep love for Jamaica to the extent, where she raised Kapo’s daughter Christine in New York, and her superlative and cherished collection of Jamaican art.”
Roberta Cleopatra Flack was born on February 10, 1937 in North Carolina. Growing up in a large, musical family, she often accompanied the choir of Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church by playing hymns and spirituals on piano, but she also enjoyed going to the “Baptist church down the street” to listen to contemporary gospel music, including songs performed by Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke.
When Flack was nine, she took an interest in playing the piano. During her early teens, she excelled at classical piano and Howard University awarded her a full music scholarship. By age 15, Flack entered Howard University in Washington, DC, making her one of the youngest students ever to enroll there. She eventually changed her major from piano to voice and became an assistant conductor of the university choir.
During her illustrious music career, Roberta Flack was the first artiste to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years: T he First Time Ever I Saw Your Face won in 1973, and Killing Me Softly with His Song won in 1974.
English (US) ·